Bringing back beauty sleep.

Hi everyone,

I hope your year is going well. Sorry I haven’t written in a while but things have been a hot mess to kick of the year. First it started with my sinuses, then I got strep, then the cold, then Mia got the Flu + Strep and Leo was suffering with allergies through it all. Through all of this I’m trying to eat better, work out and it  has just been one of those times where no matter what you do things just got worse.

Very often when we try to be healthy we forget the most important thing, REST. No matter how healthy you eat, how physically active you are, things are not in balance if your body is not getting the rest it needs. I implemented a new sleep time for everyone, they kids to go bed 1 hour earlier and I go to bed 2 hours earlier and so far everyone has been very healthy!

This got me thinking about beauty sleep. Your skin is an organ and just like every other part of your body it gets exhausted. I know when I’m exhausted my skin gets dry, irritated, break out and peel. While we all know the term beauty sleep, have you ever stopped to think about what sleep actually does to improve your looks?

Puffy eyes/ dark circles:
Sleeping helps reduce puffy eyes and dark circles. Puffy eyes are swelling and like most swelling it can also be reduced by elevating your head while you sleep.

Dull tired skin:
When your body is sleep deprived, there is less blood flow to your skin in the face area. This makes your skin look tired and dull. Not only does is make your Rosey cheeks disappear (who cares, blush can fixe that) but this means your skin is getting less nutrients to maintain healthy skin cell function. Don’t forget that  blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the all of your body including your skin cells. Nutrients used to produce things like COLLAGEN! This brings us to…

Sagging skin/ Wrinkles:
Your body produces collagen when you sleep, the more you sleep, the more collagen your body produces. Collagen prevents sagging and keeps your skin cells plump which reduces fine lines and wrinkles. For optimal collagen production you should get at least 7 hours of sleep and if you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep, make sure you are using skincare with collagen regardless of your age. With fine lines and wrinkles, it is easier to prevent them than it is to repair them.

Healthier Hair:
Like skin cells, hair follicles depend on blood flow in order to receive the nutrients/ vitamins it needs to to grow. The quality of the hair you grow depends on how nourished your hair is. If your are not getting enough shut eye, you may need to look for leave in hair products that focus on scalp health.

So with that in mind is beauty sleep worth it? It’s so good for your skin, and the best part, it’s FREE! We live in a world where something is always going and we don’t want to miss a beat but let’s be honest, with everything being recorded and shared, it is quite possible to catch up with what you missed after you’ve slept. Don’t get me wrong I am addicted to binging on series etc but now I’m seriously considering if they are worth the cost. I have developed a new relationship with sleep, all I can say is because you can get by without it, does not mean that you are health with it. You can survive 3 weeks plus without food, but not one thinks about eating every three weeks because we know it’s unhealthy, yet we all ignore medical advice on how much sleep we should get. Why?

I challenge you to make sure you get over 7 hours of sleep every day for 2 weeks and see what a different is makes, not just for your skin and hair but for your general lifestyle.

Sleep well,

Avi Y R.